Theo Rossi
Rossi in 2015, photo by Prphotos
Birth Name: John Theodore Rossi
Place of Birth: Staten Island, New York City, New York, U.S.
Date of Birth: June 4, 1975
Ethnicity: Italian, as well as Syrian, Lebanese, and Spanish
Theo Rossi is an American actor and producer.
Theo is the son of Mary Jane and Vincent Rossi. He is married to Meghan McDermott, with whom he has two children.
He has stated:
Being of mixed ethnicity, Middle Eastern, Italian—it was just one of those weird things where I’ve never really been enough of anything? I never fit in enough, for anything? And so I’ve just gravitated towards ‘Oh my last name is Rossi, so I’ll be this.’ And I’m from New York, so that’s easier for you. Because if you wanna explain to someone that you’re Syrian, they’re like, ‘What do you mean, like the bad Syrian?’ And it’s like, no. [sighs heavily] No one knows history, no one knows anything. You can’t explain anything to people, the ignorance is at an all-time high.
Theo’s maternal grandfather was Theodore Jamil Holway (the son of Jamie/Jamil Boutros Holway and Edma/Edna Hakim). Theodore was born in New York. Theo’s great-grandfather Jamil was born in Damascus, Syria, the son of Boutrus Leon Holway and Zaynah/Hannah Hajjar/Sharit. Edma was born in Tripoli, now Lebanon, the daughter of Nicolas/Nicholas Hakim and Edna Tyson.
Theo’s maternal grandmother was Erminia/Erminie Leona Nerina/Neiina Sorrentino (the daughter of Francesco Saverio “Frank” Sorrentino and Amelia “Emily”/”Emma” D’Amora/D’Amore). Erminia was born in New York. Francesco was born in Napoli, Campania, Italy, the son of Alfonso Sorrentino and Anastasia Attanasio. Amelia was born in Salerno, Italy, the daughter of Giuseppe D’Amora/D’Amore and Antonetta/Antonietta Iorio/Torio.
Sources: http://sonsofanarchypt.blogspot.ca
http://www.dailyactor.com
Genealogies, and pictures, of Theo’s maternal grandparents, Theodore Jamil Holway and Erminia/Erminie Leona Nerina/Neiina Sorrentino – https://www.findagrave.com
Theo’s maternal grandfather, Theodore Jamil Holway, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Theodore Jamil Holway on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Marriage record of Theo’s maternal great-grandparents, Jamie/Jamil Boutros Holway and Edma/Edna Hakim – https://www.familysearch.org
Theo’s maternal great-grandparents, Jamie/Jamil Boutros Holway and Edma/Edna Hakim, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Death record of Theo’s maternal great-grandmother, Edma/Edna (Hakim) Holway – https://www.familysearch.org
Theo’s maternal grandmother, Erminia/Erminie Leona Nerina/Neiina Sorrentino, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
James B Holway had all his children with Edna Hakim as can be seen in the 1910 census in Texas, Theodore was born a year later in 1911 in New York. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2MC-3KB
In the 1900 Census in Chicago (where James Holway married Edna Hakim (born 1880-1885) in 1905), Mary Hakim can been seen as having been born in Australia in 1892 along with her brother William (born 1891) and her sister Amelia/Amalia (born 1895) who was born in California. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MS73-6BJ
Edna, Mary, William and Amelia had a brother named Alfred who was born in California in 1898 to Nicholas Hakim and Edna Tyson both from Tripoli, Lebanon as can be seen in Alfred’s marriage certificate of 1928 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KHXB-SX8?from=lynx1UIV8&treeref=G4GD-PJJ
You can see in the marriage act of 1918 of Jamil Holway with Edna’s sister Mary in Louisiana that Edna and Mary’s parents were Nicholas Hakim and Edna Tyson https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKJZ-PS8T
You can also see in Edna Hakim’s death certificate of 1914 in Louisiana where it says she was from Tripoli, Syria (today’s Tripoli, Lebanon) , that Edna appears as Edna Holway Tyson, using her mother’s Edna last name instead of here father’s Hakim last name https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:C29D-C7W2
His great grandmother Edna Hakim was from Tripoli, Lebanon so she was Lebanese not Syrian which makes Theo Rossi 12% Lebanese.
Edna Hakim marriage certifiate to Jamie/Jamil Holway in 1905 in Chicago
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N74L-WZC
Edna died in 1914 in Louisiana. In her death certificate you can see it says she was from Tripoli, Syria (today’s Tripoli, Lebanon) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:C29D-C7W2
Jamil seems to have remarried in 1918 to Edna’s sister Mary in Louisiana as can be seen here https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKJZ-PS8T. In the marriage act it says that Mary’s father was Nicolas Hakim. This Nicolas Hakim seems to have lived in California (perhaps Merced City where his brother Michael/Mitchel resided) and he was from Tripoli, Lebanon as well as seen here https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JFZC-ZT5
Nicolas Hakim could be the brother of a George Hakim also from Tripoli, Lebanon (or perhaps his brother?) who appears living in California as well as New York as seen here https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WF3-VQN and had two daughters named Edna and Mary as seen here https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M5Q4-77N and here https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MSJX-186
It seems that Mary became the stepmom to her deceased sister’s children as it can be seen that at 25 her oldest child is 13 making it impossible that she is her biological mother as seen here https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4LV-1M3
and here https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHYD-W54
Hi, can I ask you a question: is correct to consider Syrians and Lebanese of the Christian faith as “Arab”?
Please change the incorrect title in bold since he was both of Syrian and Lebanese descent, not just Syrian
P.S. I replied to your question in the Damian Bichir entry
Thank you but I am not the mod here.
In that case, I would have not listed Lebanese-Syrian Christians as “Arab”.